Non-agricultural employing businesses in Australia have installed more than 1 million personal computers and 1.5 million workstations according to Business Use of Information Technology published today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Businesses also spent $22.3 billion on information technology and telecommunications (IT&T) operating expenses during 1993-94. This represented approximately 2.9 per cent of total business expenses. In-house support costs (a component of IT&T operating expenses) amounted to $4.5 billion. On average the cost of IT&T support per user was $2,800.

Capitalised expenditure on IT&T was $5.2 billion during 1993-94. This represented approximately 11.7 per cent of total business capital expenditure.

Approximately 49 per cent of non-agricultural businesses had computers. Almost all (99 per cent) of businesses employing 100 or more people had computers compared to 46 per cent of businesses employing 1-19 people.

Businesses with computers employed 4.3 million people, of which 1.6 million were regular computer users.

The survey estimated there were 144,000 professional IT&T staff years used in 1993-94. On average there were 11 computer users to each IT&T professional.

Full survey results are in Business Use of Information Technology, 1993-94 (cat. no. 8129.0), available form ABS bookshops.

The survey is the third and final in a series examining use of information technology in Australia. Results of the other surveys were previously published inHousehold Use of Information Technology, Australia (cat. no. 8128.0) and Government Information Technology, (cat. no. 8119.0).

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